South Korea: The F-35B and its aircraft carrier ambitions
South Korea:
the F-35B and its aircraft carrier ambitions
WRITTEN BY LOKMAN KARADAG
18 August 2020
The Republic of Korea (ROK) is in the process of rapidly transforming its navy into a blue-water fleet, amid rising tensions between regional powers in the Indo-Pacific. On 10 August Seoul announced its 2021-2025 defence plan, including details surrounding the development of an aircraft carrier capability for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). South Korea has also accelerated the process of acquiring F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters for use on the ship, which will be specifically designed to operate short take-off and vertical landing jets.
Despite already operating two 14,500-ton Dokdo class Landing Platform Docks (LPDs), the development of a new class of warship lies in the materials used on flight decks. At present, the Dokdo class cannot withstand the high temperatures caused by the F-35B's engines.
According to details within the defence plan, since made public, the LPX-II project will not be a dedicated amphibious assault ship, like the Dokdo class. It would instead be designed to carry 16 to 20 F-35B in the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant or helicopters depending on the distribution requirements. The proposed carrier would also be capable of carrying some 3,000 marines and 20 armoured vehicles.
With a displacement of 30,000 tons, the new LPX-II ship is expected to weigh twice as much as the current 14,500 tons Dokdo class ships and will be expected to reach as much as 40,000 tons when fully loaded. In line with the project, 20 F-35Bs will be acquired by the Republic of Korea Air Force to operate off the new ship.
Great power tensions in East Asia
Why is Seoul deciding to develop an aircraft carrier now? Japan's decision to operate F-35Bs from its Izumo class helicopter carriers, tensions with Japan over the Dokdo-Takeshima islands, and the recent constraints on high-tech sales may serve as reasons, but they alone are insufficient to explain the ROKN's decision to develop a carrier program during an economic downturn induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The diplomatic crisis between these two significant allies within the US alliance system in Northeast Asia is part of a wider development where rising tensions among the major state actors in the Indo-Pacific is leading to an arms race.
Prompting Seoul’s carrier program are the persistent reports of the Trump Administration’s plans to withdraw a sizeable number of US troops from the Korean peninsula, leaving South Korean officials increasingly uncertain over Washington’s defence guarantees.
South Korea is not the only US ally in the Indo-Pacific with the ambition to develop an aircraft carrier aviation capability. As previously mentioned, Japan plans to retrofit two Izumo-class aviation destroyers to operate F-35B stealth fighters, a controversial move given Tokyo’s pacifist constitution which prevents such offensive weapons. Singapore is also in the process of acquiring the F-35B, which would enable the city-state’s air force to operate from the US Navy’s Wasp and America class amphibious assault ships.
The elephants in the room, however, lie outside the US alliance structure, specifically China and North Korea. In parallel with seeking greater influence in the South and East China Seas, China has completed construction on its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong and is believed to be constructing a third. Meanwhile, Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile program threatens the entire Korean Peninsula.
Further prompting Seoul’s carrier program are persistent reports of the Trump Administration’s plans to withdraw a sizeable number of US troops from the Korean peninsula, leaving South Korean officials increasingly uncertain over Washington’s defence guarantees. Although these rumours have been denied, the decision to withdraw US troops from the Middle East, Afghanistan, and more recently Germany means that South Korea could be next in line.
Should the United States decide to withdraw large portions of its forces from South Korea (with the speed recently witnessed in Syria by the Kurds) Seoul alone could not resist states such as Japan and China in disputed areas such as the Yellow Sea and Dokdo-Takeshima islands whilst also facing the security threat posed by North Korea. Even if US withdrawal remains just a rumour, the history of the peninsula from the Imjin War to the Cold War is of Korea being caught between larger powers and their territorial intentions.
South Korea’s defence build-up
Signs of urgency are easily seen when reviewing its most recent Defence Plan. In addition to the redesign of Dokdo class ships and the decision to purchase F-35Bs compatible with a new class of warship, the ROK will begin to develop an interceptor system over the next five years, similar to Israel's Iron Dome to defend the country's main infrastructure in the capital region against North Korea's long-range artillery threats.
The development of long-range air-to-surface and air-to-ship guided missiles, the construction of additional submarines for the ROKN and the production of a new domestic warplane, the KF-X, are all part of this updated defence plan.
By purchasing F-35Bs, South Korea will join a select group of nations, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom in operating a STOVL stealth fighter capable of deploying from an aircraft carrier (Turkey would have formed part of this group but was expelled from the F-35 program due to arms sales fom Russia). Within this select group of nations, Seoul will have access to elite soft and hardware that will allow ROKN F-35Bs communicate in a real-time battle scenario with other like-minded nations such as Singapore and Australia — expected to purchase the F-35A.
The development of a light carrier will give South Korea unique military capabilities possessed by only a few industrialised nations. In the coming years, a ROKN formation will be able to deploy a flight of F-35Bs into a tactical scenario and be able to manoeuvre and attack from a constantly changing position. This carrier alongside the Dokdo class currently in service will also enable the ROK Army to expand its access area from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean and operate at much greater distances than the Korean peninsula, both in alliance with and independent of the US Navy.
Having a permanent multi-purpose military base at sea during war or natural disasters will allow the ROKN to quickly send forces and materials to disputed areas in a crisis with neighbouring countries. The new aircraft carrier will be the equivalent to Japan’s Izumo and perhaps even the US Navy’s Wasp and America class and will ensure the safety of ROK Navy assets in the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and beyond.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Author biography
Lokman Karadag is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at International Islamic University Malaysia. His main research in Chinese Foreign Policy, especially Chinese Foreign Policy during the Xi Jinping. He is presently working on the Chinese foreign policy strategies towards East and South China Seas and geopolitical risk analysis in the Asia-Pacific Region. Image credit: US Pacific Fleet/Flickr.